Description: Another great beginners class, and also fun for advanced quilters who want instruction on using the EZ angle Ruler and the Tri Recs Rulers and a way to dig into the scrap stash. Quilt is made from 2" and 3.5" strips, and is easier than it looks!

This is a Sew-Together Day. Bring whatever you would like to work on. There will be an optional class offered as well.

CLASS: At 10AM, Beth Findley will teach a class on basic knit garment sewing. She will demonstrate how to make a pencil skirt. The pattern is free and needs to be downloaded and printed before coming to class. This pattern can be sewn easily by a beginner!

Hi quilters! The workshop to put together this year’s service quilt will be Friday, Nov. 17th, beginning at 8:30 AM, at the Fall River Township Bldg on 25th Rd.

We will arrange the pieces (the fun part), then assemble the blocks, and put it together!! Should be quick and fun! Bring your machine and usual sewing needs. Pieces are cut, so no need to bring a cutting mat. A simple lunch will be provided.

Let Sue Marx (suemarx47@yahoo.com) know if you can come and help on this worthy project which will benefit the Dusty Rhodes Drug Awareness Foundation.

Join us for a great English Paper Piecing class taught by Shelley Serby! You are welcome to attend the class or just sew on your own projects all day.

Class Description

Join the slow stitching movement and learn to English Paper Piece!

In this class, you will learn how to handle and sew many different EPP shapes starting with the easy hexagon, then move on to diamonds and even the apple core. I’ll also show you several ways to fussy cut. Sign up with Beth. Cost of the class is $5. I will supply papers for you to try the different shapes.

*Service Quilt Note*Please bring true black and true white fabric for our service project quilt for the coming year. This quilt was requested by the "Dusty Roads Overdose Awareness Foundation" based in Streator. It was voted on at our Aug. dinner. The quilt will be black and white with a teal border. (Their colors are teal and purple) If you want to contribute, Sue Marx is looking for fat quarters of black/white fabric. True black and white please. Put your name on your fabric in case it is not used and she will return it to you. If someone has white fabric for the sashing, that would be a savings for our treasury. We need a 2 2/3 yd. piece ofplain white fabric.

Here is a picture of what we'll be working on: http://mdquilts.com/class-detail.php?ID=1. Scroll down to "Castle Wall" and you will also find the supply list there as well. Disregard the $25 kit fee, that is already paid for in your class fee.

Our guild provides use of irons, ironing boards, extension cords and large cutting mats, so there's no need to haul those. And of course you won't need to lug your machine with you since this is hand piecing!

Join us for a class and learn a new skill. Hand piecing is a great take a long project. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish with just a few minutes here and there.

Cost: $40 for members and $50 for non-members

The cost includes the acrylic template kit, needle, a spool of Aurufil thread and use of Mickey's marking tools. It ALSO includes lunch and bottled water. It's a really good deal!

We are hosting a FREE sew together day on Saturday, August 19. We will start at 9 AM and go until we feel like stopping! Bring your own projects to work on. There won't be any demos or classes at this one, just uninterrupted sewing time! Do you have a project that you are having trouble with? Bring it along and someone will help you! Relax and sew in the air conditioned comfort of our new meeting place, the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum! Email Shelley Serby if you plan to attend.

Lunch: Bring your own sack lunch or order out. Bring a snack to share if you'd like!

Dinner: If we are still sewing at dinner, we can pitch in and order a pizza or whatever else we decide on.

Cost: FREE!

For the new members especially: Your guild has cutting mats, extension cord reels, ironing boards and irons. You don't have to haul those! Just bring what you need to work on your project. We'd love to seeyouat the workshop. We have a lot of fun and still seem to get a lot done. Join us!

Program: Karen Bailey will present a program called Ruler Ruckus. We all have purchased rulers and then when we went to use them we were confused about the purpose of the ruler and how to use it. I have many of my favorites that I will demonstrate, but I know many of you have some that you would like explained. If you would bring them to the June meeting I will try to have a demo and explanation of them ready for July.

Today we will be working on baby quilt tops for the Ottawa Hospital! Shelley Serby will teach us how to make a 1-hour baby quilt top. Please bring 12 different colored 4.5" strips. Once you have made one quilt top, you may sew on any of your own projects for the rest of the day.

Cost: FREE!

Lunch: We will probably order out or bring our own lunches. Stay tuned...

Program: Our program will feature Janette Dwyer with "My Husband Says I need One More Quilt." This program consists of quilts I have acquired from estate sales, auctions, and ebay, which has now "grown" into a rather large collection. I do think I need just one more quilt...

Pieces from the Heart Quilt Guild in Morris is hosting a bus trip to the International Quilt Festival on Saturday, April 8, 2017. The cost is $30 for IVQG members. The price includes transportation, entrance ticket, and show magazine. There will be pick-ups in Peru and Ottawa. To reserve your spot on the bus, contact and send payment to Penny Johnson, 1010 Higgins Rd, Morris, IL 60450. Her cell number is 815-370-3118 and email address is penjohns@gmail.com. Please refer to the PFTHQG website for more details and pickup times:

Pick a color that beings with the first letter of your last name. For example, an E, as in Emerson, would be Eggplant, Emerald, etc. Here is a website to help you pick some colors: http://www.color-ize.com/color-list.php#S

The challenge will be to make a quilt measuring between 12" and 20" square and anything in between. Example: 12" x 18" is acceptable. Use the block and color that corresponds with your initials. Most of all, have fun!

A fabulous prize will be awarded for the one winner.

Retreat Classes:

There will be two retreat classes offered.

Karen Bailey will teach you to make two different quilts: Rectangles and Rails and 4-Patch Color Play.

The workshop is "All About Applique". You will learn to do wool applique on cotton fabric and also needle turn applique. These are both done by hand, not machine. The pattern is provided free by Dawn and is a block from her recent quilt "Abundant".

We will have a Sew-Together Day at the Scouting Museum in Ottawa on Saturday, February 18 beginning at 9 AM. The cost is $5 for the entire day! Shelley is making sloppy joes for lunch and attendees should bring a side dish to pass. We will order out for dinner. Bring your own beverages. If there is any money left from the $5 admission fee, it will go toward dinner. We have room for 18 people. Contact Shelley Serby at sewshell@mchsi.com to secure your spot!

The regular monthly membership meeting will begin at 7PM; however, Guild members are welcome to come as early as 2PM to sew with friends on whatever you'd like!

The program will be a Yard Sale put on by our own members! Any guild member may bring items from her stash (can be fabric, notions, tools, templates, etc.) to sell at the meeting. Any money made will be kept by the seller. Please contact Karen Bailey (kbailey315@gmail.com) if you would like to sell your items so that she can make sure you have a table.

Service: The Ottawa hospital maternity ward would appreciate baby quilt donations for new mothers in need. Please contact Marcia Weiss for more information.

Block Lotto: This month's block is a Snowball block. Download the pattern HERE!

This is the December monthly membership meeting. We will be doing a potluck featuring hors d'oeuvres and desserts.

Christmas Exchange: Our exchange this year will be an ornament. Please bring a wrapped, handmade ornament to the meeting. It can be any medium: fabric, embroidered, wool applique, bead-embellished, etc. Turn on your creative minds and make a beautiful ornament to exchange.

Charity Baby Blankets: We still need members to work on baby blankets for the hospital in Ottawa. They should be soft pink or blue. The pattern can be downloaded HERE. Please bring your finished blankets to this meeting to give to Marcia Weiss.

Charity Baby Blanket Sew-In:

*Please note--you are welcome to arrive as early as 2PM to help sew baby blankets for the Ottawa hospital. Please bring your sewing machines and any soft pink and blue fabric that you have. Please download a copy of the self-binding baby blanket pattern HERE. The regular business meeting will begin, as usual, at 7PM.*

This is the November monthly membership meeting. Guild members will present various table demonstrations.

Block Lotto: The November Block Lotto pattern is the Maple Leaf and can be downloaded HERE!

We are having a Retreat Day! You can sew all day, eat lunch, and enjoy some uninterrupted sewing time. Need to get those Christmas gifts done? Why not join us for a day (and evening if you want) of fun, sewing, and chatting with your friends? Additionally, you can bring things that you've been having trouble with. Are you unable to finish something because it just wasn't quite right and you can't figure out just what went wrong? Bring it! If we stay until dinner time, we can order a pizza or whatever the group wants to do. To sign up, email Shelley at sewshell@mchsi.com.